Senbon Sakura
by Kayarde
Summary: Instead of meeting Ino when she was small Sakura meets a grinning ball of sunshine by the name of Uzumaki Naruto, who's going to be the next Hokage. Believe it!
1. Prolog

Senbon Sakura  
 _by Kayarde_

Little Haruno Sakura sat on a small stone wall and started crying her eyes out. They had teased her again for her over dimensional forehead. She tried to hide it behind bangs of her pink hair, but if anything that just seemed to make their teasing worse. She couldn't stay at the playground where all these mean girls were just waiting for her to show up so they could make fun of her again.. Thus, Sakura hid away from the world, in a place where those meanies wouldn't search for her. No one wants me anyway, she thought to herself, I'm just an useless big browed freak.

Her day at the academy had been hellish, and the first thing she had done when the bell rang for the end of the day was to bolt away in the hopes of avoiding her daily bullies.. But they hadn´t even allowed her to flee in dignity. One of the girls had tripped Sakura and the contents of her schoolbag had scattered all over the floor. The entire class had laughed at her, and to make things worse, stupid Kasumi had trampled on her schoolbooks and stolen her half completed homework so now she would have to start anew. "Hey, forehead," had said Kasumi as she stomped away, "Thanks for the homework. You should do it for all of us, you have such a big forehead!" It was a pity that Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei were both talking outside the room at the time, but then, the bullies never struck when the teacher was watching. They were good at that.

Sakura hated that she had been too terrified to defend her work. She hated crying in front of the entire class. She hated being so weak. She just hated it.

Her head dropped, and she stared at the filthy ground and started to cry with a new vigour. The tears flowed down her cheeks in rivers and Sakura couldn't find the strength to move from the cold stone she was sitting on. All she wanted was to hide her overlarge forehead from everyone so they could never tease her about it again. She just wanted the world to leave her alone.

A chilly wind blew through the trees, rustling the leaves. It almost felt peaceful, being here all by herself. No one would find her here. Then a gust picked up the fringe of Sakura's hair and blew it out of her face, and the little girl shivered involuntarily, the chill finally reaching her through her anger and sadness. Then she heard a crinkle of grass and leaves in front of her and looked up from the ground, only to flinch backwards in surprise. She found herself staring directly into the curious face of a boy about her age, with sunshine coloured hair and three whisker birthmarks on each of his cheeks. The boy apparently had sneaked up upon her and now he was grinning like a maniac at her reaction. But his blue eyes were shining with good natured mirth instead of disdain, and his smile felt genuine.

"Wow, that´s one big forehead you have," he said, his grin broadening. Sakura started sniffling again. Why did everyone have to go for her forehead? Was there a target painted on it?

"Man, I'm jealous." He pulled a face. "If I had such a big forehead then that would mean I had a big brain and I would understand this stupid math homework that Stupid-sensei gave me!"

Those words made Sakura wonder. Someone was jealous of her forehead. Her tears started to subside, and she began to turn red, embarrassed from the flattery. Scraping together what was left of her self-confidence she looked the boy in the eye and whispered, "If you want, I could help you with your maths."

"Honest?" Naruto asked. Sakura nodded, and found herself feeling better in the boys company.

With a grin, he held out his hand. "I am Uzumaki Naruto, and I´m going to be Hokage one day. Believe it!"

"I..." Sakura began but stopped herself with surprise when the boy´s grin began to falter. Determined she wiped the traces of tears from her face and straightened up before taking Naruto's lowering hand with renewed confidence. "I am Sakura. Haruno Sakura."

* * *

Together they sat at Ichiraku Ramen, pouring over Naruto's homework. Teuchi had given them a bowl of Ramen on the house when he saw his favourite customer coming with female company. Sakura had been brushing her hair out of the face the entire afternoon so she could eat without hair in her soup, all while explaining division to Naruto at the same time.

They were still sitting over the first exercise, since Sakura refused to do Naruto's homework. She would help him, yes, but he had to reach the solution on his own. "Naruto how often goes the seven into the twenty-one? Come on use your brain, I now you can do it!"

"Argh! Math is so hard." He scratched the back of his head nervously. "It's not like I don´t try, I just don´t get it into my brain."

Sakura let out a sight and decided to try another approach. "Okay, let´s try it the other way round. What is seven plus seven?"

"Uuhm." He started to count with his fingers and toes. "Uhm, fourteen."

"Yes! Now add another seven."

Naruto glanced down at his feet, then back up to Sakura. "But Sakura, I don't have enough toes!"

At that she let her head fall on the table with a loud thud. "Don't worry girl," said Teuchi, who was stifling a chuckle. "Naruto just isn't interested in Maths. He's more interested in ramen." Teuchi smiled as he placed another bowl of ramen in front Naruto, who started digging in a soon as it touched the counter.

"Naruto, you really like ramen, don´t you?" Sakura smiled slyly.

"Sure! Best food ever invented. I like all sorts of ramen. Instant Ramen, Cup Ramen, Shoyu Ramen, Shio Ramen, Miso Ramen, Tonkotsu Ramen. But truly, heaven sent us Ichiraku's Ramen, Gift of the Gods. Stupid I can´t buy ramen from here all the time." As soon as he said it Narutos face turned bright red. But Sakura didn´t notice, she suddenly had an idea.

Sakura laughed, and Naruto's face started to turn red. "It's not that funny," he grumbled, but Sakura ignored him. She just had an idea on how to get math to work for Naruto.

"Let's say you have twenty-one cups of instant ramen and that´s all you have for an entire week, Naruto. How many cups can you eat each day?"

"That's only three cups of ramen each day! That´s mean!" Naruto whined.

Shannaro! It worked! Sakura smiled. "That´s the answer to the math question."

"Honest?" Naruto looked dumbfounded at his new friend.

"21 cups for 7 days makes 3 cups a day." She smiled proudly at him. He had it in him, she had known it.. I'm not useless, she thought. I have a friend, and I helped them! Already she could feel the tears starting to fill her eyes.

"Sakura-chan, are you alright? You're crying." Concern was written in Narutos blue eyes.

"I'm fine. Just happy you finally got it, idiot." She grinned like a maniac, even as tears of joy fell from her face. She brushed her bangs from her face again, grumbling to herself about them. What had she thought to gain by letting them grow?

Naruto laughed, either because of her bangs or his sudden mathematical ability, she could not be sure. The laughter was so infectious that Sakura immediately joined in, and soon they were followed by Teuchi and his daughter Ayame.

* * *

Sakura made it home just in time for her curfew and dinner. It had been a fun day with Naruto, once they figured out how to deal with the math problems. In the end she had promised Naruto to help him again with his homework when it had become apparent that he had problems with the other subjects as well.

"Mum, I'm home!" Sakura called into the flat with a cheery voice. She was still happy and proud that Naruto had understood his homework.

"I'm in the kitchen, sweetheart." Her Mother called back. "You've been out longer than usual," Her mother commented, smiling at Sakura's suddenly cheerful attitude.

"I helped a friend with his homework." Sakura grinned at her mother, happy with the subtext that she now had a friend.

At that Haruno Mebuki's smile deepened. She was happy to see that her daughter finally talking about her friends at home. She had thought that Sakura never talked about her friends out of embarrassment, not knowing that Sakura simply did not have any before. "It's always right to help a friend in need," She said as she slid the last pot off the stove." Come sit down, dinner is ready."

Sakura's father wasn't home yet, which was not uncommon. He worked as a clerk for a small trading company where he often stayed late into the night discussing the books with his boss. Sakura and her Mum ate by themselves most evenings, and this one would be no different. Her mother Mebuki had been a Chunin before she had been taken from the active roster to have a baby and marry. Although Mebuki had been away from active duty some time now, she had kept her body in shape in case she was called up for service again.

The first thing Sakura did after dinner was to go to her parent´s bathroom and dig around in the drawers for one of her mother´s hairbands. She was tired of her bags getting in her way.

Tying her hair into a ponytail was far more difficult than she had imagined, and no matter what she tried, it never quite looked the way she wanted it to. One time it was too low, then it was too far on the right side, then she had the same problem with the left side. She huffed in frustration.

Her mother walked into the bathroom and took in the scene playing in front her with a gentle smile. She pulled the hair band out of Sakura's hair and carefully started to brush the girl's hair before binding it into a ponytail that captured all of Sakura's wayward pink strands. Only a few bangs were left out to frame the girl's face on both sides.

Sakura glanced into the mirror and saw that she almost looked like a completely different person. The girl that stared back at her looked … cute, something Sakura never thought about herself as in the past. Sakura smiled at herself in the mirror. She could finally see the world around her properly, and she was happy for it.


	2. Chapter 1

"Get them!" A shout came from behind Naruto and Sakura as the two of them ran as fast as they could. Naruto running solemnly on his monstrous stamina while Sakura had to enhance her speed with chakra to keep up with her friend. That was an impressive feat for someone still at the Academy; Sakura mentally petted her own back. But apparently the Chunin chasing behind them did not appreciate the girl´s excellent chakra control if the curses thrown at them were any indication.

What they also couldn´t appreciate was the piece of art Naruto and Sakura had made out of the Hokage Mountain.

"Naruto we have to lose them quickly!" Sakura shouted at her blond friend. They were running for half an hour already at full speed and she was starting to notice the strain the chakra enhanced speed took on her reserves and even after years of strolling through the village with Naruto she still didn´t know the streets as well as he did. The boy flashed a grin in her direction and grabbed her hand before diving into the busy streets below. Waving through the people and following Naruto's surprising changes of direction was something Sakura got used to during their escapades over the years.

In an overshadowed ally Sakura thought she had lost him but then he grabbed her and pulled her up where he hang using chakra to stick to the wall. Huddled behind a roadside billboard above some garbage bins the two preteens waited for their pursuers to dash past their hiding place. "Hurry I saw them running in this direction"

Sakura let out a sigh of relief as the danger of discovery was over. The two slid down the wall back onto solid ground. Naruto´s plan had worked; they had painted the Hokake Monument. Slowly her laboured breath and her accelerated heartbeat slowed down to normal again. Of course Naruto had not even broken a sweat. The two children turned to one another looked each other in the eye and burst out laughing. They really did it. They had been talking about doing something big for the end of the school year for ages but never had Sakura imagined it would turn out this big.

Carefully Naruto glanced out of the alleyway to check if the coast was clear and soon the two were wandering through the streets of Konoha still grinning over the successful prank. Sakura looked up at the Hokage Mountain admiring the view. She turned to Naruto and pointed up the Monument now colourfully decorated. Naruto had painted the faces of the first, third and fourth generation with strong colours like stark red or blue but mostly orange while Sakura had only energy for the second who now sported a flowery pink pattern. "That, Naruto, was your best idea so far; a stroke of genius."

Naruto sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "And we even got away with it."

"Hell Yeah!" Grinning at each other they high fived.

"I wouldn´t be so sure of that." A very well-known voice behind them made Sakura and Naruto break sweat. Anxious they turned around and found themselves face to face with a very angry Iruka-Sensei.

"Run!" But before they had the chance to get away Iruka had them both by the back of their shirts and dragged them of towards the academy. "You two really did it this time" Defeated they sighed and resigned to their fate.

Why was it that they were able to outwit a great number of active ninja but completely failed when Iruka was after them? Their teacher had always caught up with them.

The first time Sakura had ever gotten into trouble with her Sensei was a few days after she had met Naruto. Naruto had been her first real friend and as she found out later it had been the same for Naruto. They became reliant on one another and with Naruto by her side she became more confident and lost her shyness. Up to that point she had been a quiet strait A student who spent most of her time hiding behind books few children her age could read let alone understand. She had been nervous around other children and often hid behind the blonde boy. But over the first few weeks of their friendship Naruto had coaxed the girl out of her shell.

The day when Sakura started turning from a bookish, shy girl who hid her face into the preteen she was now had started relatively normal.

 _When Sakura got up at that day her father Kizashi already had left the flat when she came down for breakfast. Her mother was standing in the kitchen preparing Sakura´s lunchbox. "Good morning, Sweetheart."_

 _"Morning Mum", Sakura yawned. "Uhm Mum. Naruto is going to pick me up, so we can walk together." She nearly stumbled over the words while she played nervously with her fingernails. At her friends name her mother stiffened._

 _"Uzumaki Naruto?" She asked concerned._

 _But before Sakura could answer it knocked on the front door. Sakura wanted to stand up but her mother was already gone to open the door. "Sakura finish your breakfast." Sakura was anxious. How would her mother react towards her friend?_

 _There was a small commotion in the hallway. But Sakura couldn´t hear what was talked because the kitchen door was closed, no matter how hard she tried._

 _Then the kitchen door opened and a frightened Naruto was pushed through with Sakura´s angry mum at his back. Naruto was shoved into a chair around the kitchen table and before Sakura came out of her stupor her mother had placed a bowl of rice in front of the boy. What followed was a stunned silence both Naruto and Sakura staring at the dish._

 _"Eat!" Sakura´s mother snapped at both of them who hastily picked up their chopsticks and didn´t dare to look at something else then the food._

 _Sakura could hear her mother rampaging through the kitchen opening cupboards and chopping something all the while the woman murmured something in an angry tone. Finally they had finished breakfast in an uncomfortable silence but it didn´t break the tension filling the room. Naruto still looked like a deer caught in a beam of light and Sakura feared breaking the silence would unleash her mother´s fury. They watched each other not daring to look somewhere else._

 _Sakura´s mother sighed annoyed. "So there you go" and dropped a lunchbox in front of each child. Naruto was now probably completely confused as the box was shoved into his arms and with a smile on the woman´s face the two children were ushered out of the flat. "Now off to school." And then the door closed behind them._

 _They stared at each other and started to make their way towards the Academy. It took a while before Naruto found his words again. "Is your mum always this scary?"_

 _"Uhm" Sakura was dumbfounded. "Uhm. No, only when something really pissed her of."_

 _"I see." Naruto said deep in thought. Both fell back into an unpleasant silence._

 _"So what happened at the door?" Sakura broke the silence._

 _"I´m not sure. It went so quick. Well I knocked. Your mum opened when my stomach growled. I forgot to eat breakfast. Then this neighbour woman said something about begging and brat and leaving. Didn´t catch the gist of what was said. Then your mum got this really scary look in her eyes like - I don´t know – a hawk or something. And next thing I know I was sitting with you at the kitchen table." Sakura knew fully well which look Naruto described having seen it a few times, normally when someone hurt Sakura. "So what does that mean?"_

 _"Not sure. But I think mum likes you." Sakura grinned and Naruto grinned back as they entered the Academy. He and Sakura walked down the corridor towards their classroom._

 _Curious he peaked into the bento. Mebuki had packed them her special riceballs. "Wow, your mum really put effort in this."_

 _"You know, Sakura, I really wish I would know what it is like to have a mother. I mean I don't even know who she was or what she looked like." Naruto said looking at the riceballs that had a smiley on them._

 _"I'm sorry, Naruto." Sakura looked to the ground a little embarrassed._

 _"Mhmm. It is not important. Never knew what it's like to have a mum. So it's nothing I can miss." But Sakura had the feeling that behind his grin Naruto hid an enormous amount of sadness._

 _"You don't even have pictures of your parents?"_

 _"No. I was found orphaned the day of the Kyubi-Attack. They probably just made my name up on the spot. I even got that date for my birthday." At that Naruto had a solemn look in his eyes. But that got Sakura thinking._

 _"Well, we could find out about that." She slowly said still deep in her thoughts. That got Naruto's attention and the glance he threw her was curious and filled with interest._

 _Staring into space Sakura continued "You see, there must be some kind of registry where every citizen of Konoha is listed. And if we found that we could, you know, look you up."_

 _"That's a great idea, Sakura! And I know where we should start!" And already Naruto had turned on his heels taking Sakura's hand and dragging her away from the Academy into the direction of the Hokagetower._

 _"Naruto, what are you doing? We still have school." The girl protested angrily. "Do you even know where you are going?"_

 _"Come on Sakura. This is far more interesting than Sensei Iruka's lectures." Naruto replied so enthusiastic that Sakura forgot about it long enough for them to reach their destination._

 _They got inside really quickly and now they wandered through the hallways as quietly as possible since both were quite sure that what they were doing was forbidden. Sakura could feel her heart beating painfully hard against her rip cage. It was her first time inside this important building while it seemed that Naruto was here far more often by the way he moved around the corridors. They met no one while they tiptoed through the hallways._

 _They found the room with the civilian registry they were looking for, checked if the coast was clear and entered quickly._

 _"So let's go" Sakura whispered walking up to the folders with the names beginning with U. Uzukaze, Uzuki, Uzumaki. There they could start. "Naruto, found you."_

 _Carefully together they pulled out a folder marked with Uzumaki Naruto. Leafing through the pages they came across a picture of Naruto, a long list of misdeeds he had done in the past, his school records and finally Naruto's birth certificate. "Looks like your name wasn´t made up on the spot. Here's you mothers name. Uzumaki Kushina. The name sounds nice. But it looks like your father's name isn't listed." Where normally the name of Naruto's father would have appeared was now a black stripe. Perhaps that meant he was born out of wedlock but Sakura wasn't sure._

 _"Great! Let's look her up too." That proved a little bit difficult since Naruto was the only Uzumaki in the entire archives so they needed another plan of action. Naruto sat down on the floor cross-legged and cocked his head in thought._

 _"What is it?" Sakura asked._

 _"There is another place we could look but I don't know exactly where it is." At Sakura's questioning look he continued. "I know that the Ninja registry is somewhere in the ANBU archives."_

 _Sakura's euphoria on finding the name Naruto's mum was still high so she suggested. "Then let's check there next."_

 _Naruto grinned. "Yeah"_

 _However when they left the Hokagetower they were greeted by an annoyed Sensei Iruka who hauled both of them off back into the classroom. Sakura had tears in her eyes as she was faced with the wrath of the academy teacher. How Naruto just laughed it off was something Sakura couldn't phantom. He seemed to didn't care for school at all._

 _"Don't pull that grin with me it is bad enough that you skip lessons but now you drag Sakura into it as well. And Sakura you are such a good student I expected better from you." At that Sakuras face burned red. They received their lecture in front of the entire class._

 _It ended with Iruka Sensei giving them detention after class._

 _As it turned out they weren't the only ones stuck in the academy after lessons. They were joined by Shikamaru for sleeping in class, Choji for eating during a lecture and Kiba for skipping school alltogether._

Her father had been furious and had promptly forbidden her from ever seeing Naruto again and had send her of to bed. Her mother had come into her room sometime later. Kawako had listened to her story what had really happened. She had smiled, tussled her hair and kissed her forehead. Then she had said that Sakura was on the right way to become a great ninja. "Just don't get caught the next time."

They tried to follow the advice and they were getting better but escaping Iruka sensei was downright impossible. He had to be a sensor or something.

It wasn't the first time that Iruka Sensei lectured them in front of the entire class but it would be the last time, so Sakura felt a little bit nostalgic. Naruto ever the class clown irritated the Sensei again which earned them all a revision for next day's graduation. Transformation wasn't a problem for either Naruto or Sakura. They messed around with it too much. But using the Sexy Jutsu in class against Iruka Sensei was really over the top. Poor Iruka Sensei was probably dying of blood loss right now; Sakura shook her head until her brain kicked in.

"Naruto! Never use that against an allied shinobi again." She yelled hitting Naruto over his head. Everyone looked at her most likely thinking she would chastise Naruto for that major offence; the girls in particular were scandalized about this form of Transformation.

"Only use that against enemies!" She could hear the outrage of their classmates.

* * *

AN: Thanks for your reviews, roooll, miletta101, Kairan1979 and Idjes.  
I can't believe that I actually wrote a second chapter so shortly after the first on. But I still don't have a story line in mind. If you have any ideas you are welcome to write them in a review. I'll be writing when inspiration hits but I can't predict when or if it happens so I can't make any promises. But I think the first few chapters may be in the same style as this one.

I hope you had fun reading.  
Have a nice day.


	3. Chapter 2

Sakura was in no good mood the night after her graduation. She had passed the test with flying colours but when she couldn´t find her best friend after the exams she knew what had happened. Naruto had failed. Or a better wording; he had been failed.

There was no mistaking it. Naruto was able to perform a perfect Henge and Kawarimi since before their break-in into the archives. They had made sure of that. Bushin was an issue still, but that alone would nor cause him to fail. And the questions asked in the written test he could answer, Sakura had taken care of that problem. Something- or someone- must have interfered with Narutos exam Sakura was certain of it.

They had planned to celebrate graduation at Ichirakus with her parents . But when Naruto hadn't shown up in the Academy yard or afterwards at the ramen shop Sakura had known something had gone terribly wrong. So she had gone searching for him (with her mother's blessing and her father's scowl) but she couldn't find him in their usual hiding places and then she had overheard some Chunin cursing Narutos name and following them she found out that her best friend had stolen the Forbidden Roll of Eels whatever that was. It must have been something important since it seemed that the entire military force of the hidden leaf was after that thing and Naruto. When they saw her she had been hauled off by those who recognized her as Narutos friend right in front of the Hokage who looked at her with piercing eyes.

To sum her situation up: Sitting in front of an irritated Hokage frightening her half to death isn't exactly a reason to be in a good mood.

"Sakura where is Naruto?" he asked in a stern voice although she could hear worry as well.

"I don't know." She answered truthfully.

"Sakura this isn't one of your pranks this is serious. Naruto stole the scroll with the forbidden jutsu of this village. Tell me where is he."

To say Sakura was shocked would have been an understatement. Her brain ran through the consequences Naruto would have to face when they caught him. What he had done bordered treason! And treason was a certain way to find oneself with a death penalty. Every muscle in Sakuras body started to tremble when that train of thought settled into her brain. Tears welled up in her eyes. "I- I already told you I do not know where he is. I've been se-searching the entire evening for him. And even if I knew I wouldn't tell you." She cried out. "No way in hell I allow him to be executed!" Her cries of anger subsided into sobs of desperation. "He is my friend."

That little outburst surprised the Hokage. It was well known that these two were nearly inseparable but that kind of loyalty was something very rare. The old man sighed. "Sakura calm down! I'm worried about him as well. That's why we need to find him. The jutsu in this scroll are dangerous even deadly for the user. That's why he needs to be found."

"You didn't judge Naruto yet?" The girl whispered through her tears.

"No." Through all that emotionally tumult Sakura was going through she still trusted the words of the old man Hokage as Naruto called him.

"But I still don't know where he could be. I've searched all our usual places." Desperation was coursing through Sakuras thoughts. This was her best friend who apparently committed a crime classified as treason against the village both of them loved as their home and the very same place Naruto wanted to rule and protect as the Hokage. Why would he do something like that? It was just so wrong; as wrong as him failing the graduation exam…

Even after years of learning for tests with Sakura, Naruto would never excel in academic matters. He wasn't stupid far from it actually but his abilities lay more in the practical side of things. He never planned to far ahead but the ideas he developed in the spur of the moment spoke of a quick and intelligent mind. This was proven by the often elaborate pranks he thought of. He wasn't stupid just had a little problem with book smarts. But together with Sakura he overcame that problem to the point where he should pass the graduation exam with marks only slightly below average. There was no way in hell that Naruto would have failed the stupid test. There had to be more to it.

Sakura gasped as she understood what was happening.

"Naruto didn't fail the exam. He was failed." Sakura exclaimed in anger. "I know him. He would never do something to harm Konoha. He must have been set up."

The Sandaime steepled his fingers in front of his chin eying the girl in front of him. "We have to find him." Slowly he got up from his place behind his desk and beaconed Sakura to follow him in a smaller room where a crystal ball sat on a cushion.

"I could find him on my own but you know him better than I do. You'll find him quicker. Touch the ball and concentrate on Naruto." Sakura did as asked and she was quite surprised to see the milky glass grow transparent until she could see her friend studying a large scroll somewhere in the forest near a cabin. At once the Hokage gave orders to the ANBU hidden in the room (everyone knew that ANBU were stationed in the Hokage's office) via handsigns. Sakura only heard a quiet 'Yes Sir' before they were gone.

Sakura unfurled her fists which she had unconsciously clenched and focused her attention back to the glass ball; just in time to see Iruka Sensei finding Naruto. She relaxed. Everything would be alright now.

And as soon as the thought crossed her mind everything went south; right to the point where Mizuki threw an over dimensional shuriken at Iruka Sensei's back. Something Mizuki had said must have frightened Naruto out of his mind since he was running away as fast as he could.

Sakura sat back as her brain tried and miserably failed to process the words spoken just seconds before. Naruto's the nine Tails. Naruto's the nine Tails. Naruto's the nine Tails.

No matter how often it was repeated in her mind it didn't make sense. How could Naruto, her best friend, be the untameable monster that had destroyed large parts of the village, killed countless Shinobi and civilians? This was Naruto they were talking about. A loudmouth sure, a prankster certainly but sure as hell he wasn't a cold blooded monster.

Something else came forward into her thoughts. That was the reason why the adults in the village always had this cold look in their eyes when they saw Naruto. They all knew it that's why they hated him. But Naruto never acted like the Kyubi. If he was the beast then he clearly had no memories of what he did before. So if he was the fox reborn he had a new chance at being a nice person and those cold eyed idiots ruined it. She had to prevent her best friend from losing his good heart. She had to show him that he was loved and hope that her love for him was enough.

"Sakura, where are you going?" Only when the Hokage asked she noticed that she had stood and walked to the door.

"I need to find Naruto. Even if he is the fox' reincarnation he is still my best friend and no matter what I'll stand by his side." Determination could be found in her stand, her expression and her eyes.

"Have faith in your friend." The Hokage smiled at her and gestured for her to sit down again.

The scene progressed between Naruto, Iruka and Mizuki. The injured Iruka was leaning against the tree where Naruto was hiding.

"Actually I planned to kill the demon brat first but since you insist on interfering, Iruka, I'll kill you first and then I'll have some fun with the pink haired bitch to bring the demon over the edge and let the beast lay waste over the entire village." The maniacal laugh of the traitor sounded over the clearing. Suddenly Sakura was very glad that she wasn't in that clearing. The cold, brutal gleam in Mizuki's eyes ran shivers down Sakura's spine. What could a Chunin like him do to a girl like her?

She returned her attention back to the glass ball in time to see Naruto kicking a large shuriken meant for Iruka Sensei out of the way.

"If you lay one finger on Iruka Sensei or _Sakura-chan_ I'll kill you." The boy's voice dripped with malice as he stood there protectively in front of Iruka Sensei.

"You think you can do anything? Come at me demon. I'll finish you in one shot." Mizuki grinned so sure of his victory.

"Bring it on trash. I'll return every pain you inflicted on Iruka Sensei a thousand times over." He formed a sign with his fingers Sakura was unfamiliar with and moments later the entire clearing was filled with Naruto clones. Sitting in the Hokage's office the girl found herself cheering on her best friend as he beat Mizuki to pulp

The Hokage smiled at the girl's antics as Iruka gave Naruto his leaf headband and the ANBU finally arrived at the scene to fetch the Sensei, the now graduated Academy student and the traitor. Now everything would be all right.

Iruka Sensei was handed over to the first aid team and Mizuki to a bulky man with scars across his face who gave Sakura the creeps.

When Naruto finally was escorted into the Hokage's office Sakura knocked him over the head and then threw her arms around his neck and helplessly sobbed into his shoulder. All the tension and anxiety Sakura had accumulated over the evening was released in a stream of tears rolling down her cheeks. "You blasted idiot. I've been searching for you the entire evening. I was so worried."

Shyly Naruto hugged Sakura back. "Sorry Sakura. I didn't mean for you to worry. I thought I could take Mizuki on my own but then everything kinda went to hell."

Sakura leaned back to look Naruto in the eye. "You knew about Mizuki?"

"Ehm… Kind of; when I failed the graduation and then Mizuki told me about this extra test, it was, I don't know, too good to be true. It was fishy." Naruto scratched the back of his head and grinned sheepishly. Before Sakura could react the Hokage spoke up. "Naruto please, close the door. We need to talk about what Mizuki told you."

"But isn't that some super-secret information? Is Sakura allowed to hear it?" Sakura could see the worry in his eyes.

"She already heard." Now the worry transformed into panic and Naruto refused to look her in the eye. "You two sit down."

"First Naruto, what Mizuki told you is only half of the truth. You are not the Nine-Tails." Both preteens looked up at this. "You're the Nine-Tails' host, its Jinchuriki. You were born like every other person. It was only ill fate that the Fox attacked on your birthday since the technique used to seal the fox requires the undeveloped chakra system of a new born child. And ever since the Fourth chose you as the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki you've been the only one standing between the Fox and the destruction of Konoha."

"What about my mum didn't she-" Naruto broke off. Sakura laid an arm around her friends shoulder. He always had the feeling that he was unwanted.

The Hokage closed his eyes for a moment. How much should he tell? "Kushina died shortly after giving birth to you during the Kyuubi attack. She wanted you with her entire being." He sighed. "She loved you so much and she would have continued to love you no matter what happened to you. As a matter of fact I'm sure even in death she continues to watch over you and to love you."

* * *

AN: Oh my god. Another chapter. I can't believe it...  
Thank you everyone so much for your reviews and your encouragement. I now have some ideas in mind and I actually started lining out a storyline. If you have any ideas you are welcome to post them.  
Oh but I have to warn you I haven't read the manga since the point where Madara steps on the battlefield so I'm not really firm with canon. I know the basics about ObiTobi and Kaguya and the fact that SasuSaku actually became canon. So if I make grave mistakes please tell me. If they work with what I have in mind I might correct them.

I hope you had fun reading and have a nice day.


	4. Chapter 3

Naruto walked Sakura home some time around midnight after they promised to talk to no one about what happened that evening or about the hostile mass of chakra Naruto contained in his stomach. After tonight's revelations he was so scared of how she would react but as it turned out he shouldn't have worried. She had made clear that she didn't give a damn about the Kyuubi.

They made the way in silence but never braking skin contact. Sakura had been so scared that she might lose her best friend that subconsciously she needed the reinsurance that he was with her. Naruto was the same. He didn't exactly understand what Mizuki had threatened her with but the tone in the traitor's voice left no doubt that he had wanted to hurt Sakura badly. He needed the reinsurance that she was safe.

Sakura's mum answered the door. She smiled when she saw that Naruto wore a headband. "Thank you for escorting Sakura home. It's good to see that you are alright, Naruto. We were worried when you didn't meet us in the school yard."

Naruto nervously shuffled with his feet. "There was a... ehm..." He looked at Sakura. "... a misunderstanding with Mizuki Sensei."

Mebuki nodded with understanding. "It's classified, I guess. Then I wont ask."

Both of them nodded relieved.

"Should I bring you home, Naruto?"

"No thank you, Haruno-san." The boy bowed politely. "I'll take the highway." It was a common name for the ninja's roof jumping.

"See you tomorrow in class." The children hugged and then Sakura disappeared into the flat.

Konoha's buildings were designed so that the roofs were easy accessible to the ninja and anybody found up there who wasn't an ninja or a student of the academy (they needed to learn at some point) would have to pay a handsome fine for negligent endangering of roof traffic. Enhancing his speed with chakra Naruto needed barely five minutes going home.

His apartment wasn't clean but tidy and a fruit basket stood on the table. Sakura had insisted that if he wouldn't eat vegetables he should at least eat fruits to get some vitamins into his system. She had read something about it in a book on health and ninja or something. And when her mum had found out that he liked gardening she gave him a potted apple tree for his birthday. The Harunos had gifted him with a new plant every year after that.

Naruto watered his plants before he went to bed, there was an orange tree, a raspberry bush, a strawberry plant and the small cherry tree he'd gotten last year.

Before he fell asleep he looked at the two pictures on his nightstand. One was of Sakura smiling into the camera. In the background the cherry trees were in full bloom. It had been taken in spring a few years back. Naruto smiled as the memory came to mind.

It had been a beautiful day and they had decided not to cause any mischief.

 _They walked down the main street just enjoying the first warm rays of sunshine looking at the market stalls. "Look Naruto this years first strawberries." Sakura exclaimed and went ahead to the stall. When Naruto came up next to her the saleswoman was packing up a basket of the fruits. The second she spotted him her eyes turned cold like the eyes of the adults always did when they saw him._

 _"You demon, get lost! I don't want your kind ruining my business." The woman hissed._

 _Sakura was shocked. "Hey Naruto is my friend." Her outburst earned her an incredulous look._

 _"Girl, I'll give you some advice. Stay away from that boy if you know what's good for you."_

 _Sakura clenched her jaw then gave the bag with the strawberries back to the vendor. "Here take them back, I don't want them anymore." She said as politely as possible before grabbing Naruto's hand and dragging him away leaving the confused woman behind. Sakura had been so furious that she was breathing hard by the time they were in the playground. Naruto didn't know what was going on and he had been so worried when her carefully whispered her name. "Sakura..."_

 _"How dare that woman? How dare she tell me to stay away from you? You are my friend, my best friend. How dare she?" The little girl growled tears of fury in her eyes._

 _"Sakura these things happen a lot. There are a lot of people who don't like me." Naruto looked so small when he scrapped his feet through the sand._

 _Sakura watched him with wide eyes before she narrowed them. "If someone dares to say something against you or our friendship again I'm going to kick their asses all the way to Kirigakure."_

 _"But-"_

 _She stopped his protests with a furious look before she snarled. "Fine, then I'll kick their butts all the way to Kirigakure."_

Even after all their years together he still couldn't believe how lucky he was to have Sakura as his friend.

The other photo was the official ninja registration picture of his mother Kushina. It was the only picture he had of her and the day he got it had been simultaneously one of the best and the worst days in his life. It was the day they had after months of preparation, information gathering and training broken into the ninja archives.

When Naruto couldn't be with her Sakura had spent a lot of time in the library doing research on chakra, stealth techniques and what not. It had involved a lot of kanji and concepts he couldn't even begin to understand back then. Sakura had translated these complicated texts into something he could understand like her trick with the ramen maths. Chakra was a bit like glue that could stick on a surface. If you used to much it would squish out and make a mess, if you used to little it wouldn't hold. Sakura had this cool trick she used to turn the pages of a book without touching them, a bit like threads.

Tomorrow they would hand in their registration forms and then he and Sakura would finally be real ninja.

Naruto closed his eyes and fell asleep with Sakura and his mother smiling at him from their picture frames.

 _The two of them where standing on a rooftop across from Konoha's Intelligence Division shaking with nervousness._

 _Sakura shook her head. Not even a genin and already she was going to break in into one of the best guarded building in Konoha. To say she was nervous as hell would have been an understatement but simply watching Naruto prepare their diversion gave her confidence that their idiotic risky not to mention dangerous plan might have a chance of success._

 _"Hey Sakura you don't have to come with me you know. You already helped me so much with training. And it's going to be dangerous, probably." Again Naruto tried to make her back out of Operation: Pictures of Narutos Mum._

 _"Naruto I'm not going to let you go in there alone. Someone has to make sure you get out of there in one piece. And besides I've trained as much as you did to get to my current level and I'm desperate to prove myself." She sounded a lot more confident than she was and gave her friend a shaky smile Naruto answered with an equally shaky grin._

 _"Ready?" He asked._

 _"As ready as I'll ever be."_ _She took a deep breath and threw three senbon. A few weeks ago she had discovered that with enough concentration she could direct projectiles into any target, even around corners. She hit the spot that would set of Naruto's distraction and quickly ducked down behind a small wall next to Naruto. There was a series of poofs as the colour bombs' chain reaction was set off. There were shouts of outrage coming from the busy street below as now everyone was covered with orange and pink powder._

 _Naruto and Sakura did a chakra enhanced jump over the street. There were about fifteen meters between the roofs and boy had they practiced to get over that distance by jumping over a river. On those days they had come home soaking wet. They landed safely and went in through an open window._

 _Inside the building it was eerily quiet a stark contrast to the commotion in the street outside._

 _Sakura had read in a book on spy techniques that humans rarely looked up so they crept along the ceiling. They didn't meet anyone as they sneaked through the corridors in silence both waiting for the other boot to drop. Their hearts hammered when they finally found a door labelled as archives. Nobody was in the hallway when they dropped from the ceiling. They were surprised to find that the door wasn't locked._

 _When they finally got inside of the ninja archives they allowed themselves to draw breath and tried to get their heartbeat under control._

 _They didn't need to search for long because Kushina's file was directly next to her sons. They didn't ponder on why Naruto already had a file in the ninja archives when he was still a academy student. But everything within his mother's file was blackened out save for her name, birthday and the fact that she was deceased the same day Naruto was born. A second thumbing through, brought up a picture of her. Sakura found that the woman in the picture was really pretty. She had a nice slightly goofy smile that reminded her of Naruto. He looked a lot like her. When she looked at Naruto she could see him smiling not that goofy smile he usually had on his face but a sincere one like the one he used when Sakura had taken his extended hand. That was a special smile reserved for only a few privileged people to see. She desperately wanted to hug him to share her happiness for him._

 _But that private happy moment for Naruto was interrupted by a kunai imbedding into the wall just a few millimetres from where her head been an instant ago cutting hair from her fringes._

 _Both children flinched at the impact. And Sakura immediately panicked when she turned and found herself faced with a honed katana blade pointed right between her eyes. They were surrounded by the white animal masks of the ANBU._

 _"Surrender" And that they did._

Naruto woke up with a start when his alarm clock went off interrupting his dream.

The day he handed his paperwork in had been interesting to say the least.

It was a pity that Sakura prevented him from using the cool face paint he had designed especially for that occasion. He looked pretty normal on his photo now. Carefully he glanced at Sakura's picture. She looked like an innocent little girl who couldn't hurt a fly. It was a bit misleading. But then again being a ninja was all about deception and with the face paint no one would recognize him if someone stole his file. He pouted, he should have insisted on the colouring.

They had a run in with the hokage's grandson Konohamaru who followed them the rest of the day insisting that Naruto should teach him the Sexy Justu so he could defeat his grandfather. Naruto did teach him the art after Sakura lectured the boy on the dangers of the technique and made him promise only to use it against enemies. Konohamaru was eager to swear it since Sakura promised him bodily harm if he didn't. When she got that particular gleam in her eye Sakura really got scary.

Then that tokubetsu-jonin Ebisu showed up and Naruto had this flash of inspiration defeating him with the new Harem no Jutsu. It was a genius if he said so himself.

When Naruto dispelled Konohamaru's delusion of their being a short-cut to the title of Hokage Sakura looked proud and it gave him a funny feeling in his stomach. He grinned at her a bit embarrassed. Right before she hit him over the head.

"Whaa Sakura. What was that for?"

"What did I tell you about using that jutsu against shinobi of the village?"

* * *

AN: Another chapter... I wonder when the string of inspiration will sever.  
Since there were many voices arguing for a change of the names of Sakura's parents I corrected them.  
On the topic backstory: when it fits I'll incorporate small flashback into the story. They will come less and less as the story progresses and they will not be in chronological order, probably.  
I had Sakura's POV, now Naruto's, the next one up is their teammate, commenting on the team assignments. My decision on who it's going to be is about 85% percent certain.  
I hope you enjoyed reading.  
Have a nice day.


	5. Chapter 4

When Shikamaru heard the alarm clock that morning he shut it off. Debating if staying in bed was worth facing his mothers nagging he turned around and tried to return to sleep. Unfortunately his mother was already screaming for him to come down. Yawning he shuffled down the stairs and quietly ate his breakfast ignoring his mothers nagging.

When it was time she practically kicked him out of the house towards the academy. The classroom was already filled with people and he took his place next to his best friend Choji. There was a commotion a few rows in front of them but Shikamaru didn't pay them any mind. Most likely the fan girls were fighting over who would get to sit next to Sasuke.

Fuki won and a defeated and furious Ino sat down next to him. Immediately she started to make his ears bleed with her inane chatter about Sasuke and how she would be on a team with him.

They all were in such high spirits. Shikamaru didn't get it. It was just the day of the team assignments. Nothing worth to get so worked up over. "Troublesome."

Choji interrupted his extended second breakfast to look at his friend. "Aren't you excited about the team assignments?"

Shikamaru yawned. "No. It's likely there will be a remake of the Ino-Shika-Cho team our dads had. There wont be any surprises for us." He ignored Ino's shout of outrage. Choji on the other hand nodded with understanding and offered his friend a potato chip. "Thanks. Will you wake me when Sensei Iruka reads out the team members?"

Choji was used to Shikamaru's notorious need for sleep and returned to his bag of chips.

As promised Choji gently nudged his elbow in Shikamaru's side when Sensei Iruka pulled out his list. Shikamaru groaned in pain. A nudge from Choji was like a heavy punch from anybody else.

"...tried to balance each team's strength." An outcry ran trough the class and as soon as they had quieted down again Sensei Iruka read out the teams. The first six went in through one ear and strait out through the other. "Team 7 Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto..." They high-fived. That wasn't surprising, those two were as thick as thieves. "... and Nara Shikamaru." What?! No. He stared at his Sensei. But he had been certain that they couldn't resist the temptation of redoing the successful Ino-Shika-Cho team, he'd been sure that he would be on a team with his best friend. Choji hung his head. It was obvious that he'd hoped for the same thing. Their eyes met. So many things were said with this one sad look.

Shikamaru looked at those who would be his new teammates. They grinned at each other, like always.

 _Iruka Sensei had held the five them back one day and despite this Naruto and Sakura were grinning at each other._

 _He had once again received detention for sleeping in class, together with Choji who had eaten during class, Naruto and Sakura who had made the hallway leading to the teachers' room into a skating rink, and Kiba who had skipped class altogether._

 _Sensei had been angry but since the four boys were faced with his wrath regularly Shikamaru just yawned in anticipation of the coming lecture. Sakura who was still relatively new to this shuffled with her feet._

 _"You guys can't concentrate on anything!" Sensei Iruka yelled. "You'll never be great Ninja if this continues."_

 _Kiba huffed. "How the hell are we supposed to sit still, eh Akamaru?"_

 _"Can't you cut your lecture short today?" Naruto asked. "Sakura and I have things planned." Shikamaru assumed he talked about another prank but as it turned out later Sakura helped Naruto with his homework._

 _"Extra Class for all of you!" Sensei shouted and threw leaves onto their foreheads._

 _"What's this?" Naruto asked._

 _"What I'm going to teach you guys is the way the founders of Konoha used to train in ancient times. This training requires you to concentrate all your chakra onto this leave which will sit on your forehead. Use only your chakra to let the leaf circle around itself. It's a very old yet effective way of shaping up ones concentration." Iruka's smile turned serious. "You'll only be acknowledged as great ninja if you have good concentration. The Konoha sign on my forehead protector originates from this training."_

 _"Ha Ha! Does that even matter?!"_

 _"The strength of a ninja is all that counts after all, right!"_

 _"I know!"_

 _The four boys jumped out of the window while Sakura stayed behind for a few more seconds. "Thanks for the lesson, Sensei." She bowed politely and with that she jumped after them leaving a defeated Sensei Iruka behind._

 _All of them together spent the rest of the day sitting in the park near the hospital. Naruto was chased by Kiba for one reason or another. Choji enjoyed an afternoon snack while he and Sakura sat in the grass. He was watching the clouds while Sakura watched Naruto with a sad smile, listening to his boisterous laughter. T_ _he leaf Sensei Iruka had given them circled on her hand without her touching it._ _"It's nice to have friends." She whispered._

 _Shikamaru pretended not to have hears the words but they made him realize something. A few weeks ago both Naruto and Sakura had always been alone. Naruto gave the class clown but when nobody would look he got this quiet, desperate expression on his face. And if one didn't actively searched for Sakura she disappeared into the shadows. Somehow Naruto became her focus and Sakura became his light. Now those two circled around another like they were each others suns._

That hadn't changed. Naruto still looked at Sakura as if she was the sun and Sakura looked at him as if he was the centre of her world. Already he felt like the fifth wheel on the wagon.

* * *

Kakashi sensei was late for their final test to become genin so Shikamaru used the chance to catch some more sleep. He was woken by Naruto's and Sakura's annoyed scream and he concluded that their sensei had finally arrived.

Kakashi pulled an alarm clock from his bag, sat it for noon and held up two bells. "It is your task to take these from me before noon. Those who cannot get a bell will get no lunch. Not only will I tie you to the stumps but I will eat right in front of you."

Kakashi looked from one aspiring genin to the other and after a complete lack of reaction he raised an eyebrow. "You three actually ate breakfast?"

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Well it did sound more like an advice than an order."

Shikamaru yawned. "My mother nagged me into eating."

Sakura held up the scroll she'd been reading and pointed to a passage. "You need to eat a healthy breakfast to perform your duties satisfactory."

Their sensei shrugged. "You only need one bell to pass. There are only two so one of you will definitively be going without lunch. And the person who can't claim a bell by noon will be send back to the academy." Naruto and Sakura gulped while Shikamaru frowned. His brain already kicking into overdrive.

"If you want to succeed you should come at me with the intent to kill." Kakashi said nonchalantly. Sakura had her senbon out with one smooth movement preparing to throw them when Kakashi suddenly appeared behind her threatening her with her own weapon. Naruto stood too far away to interfere but had his kunai at the ready. Shikamaru sighed resignedly. So that was the power of a jonin. Troublesome. Forfeiting wasn't an option, unfortunately. His mother would have his hide and although is father wouldn't say anything he would surely be disappointed.

"Now, now, I haven't even said start yet." Their teacher smiled with his visible eye. "I think you guys are starting to grow on me. Ready? Start!" Shikamaru jumped back and hid in the bushes where his shadows would be most effective. Sakura was hiding high up in a tree from where she would have a better attack angle. Naruto on the other hand was standing in the middle of the clearing and loudly challenged their sensei.

Good with the jonin distracted Shikamaru had time to sort through the available information. Carefully he laid his fingertips together.

 _Of the twenty-seven graduates only nine will become genin._

 _Two bells for three students._

 _Who claims a bell will pass._

 _Only need one bell to pass._

 _Three man squads._

 _Test of skill or something else?_

His eyes snapped open. He smirked. He had a theory, now he needed a strategy to test it. But first he needed to find Sakura.

Meanwhile Naruto was hanging from a tree by a rope around his ankle. "Look beneath the underneath. Sure. I'll remember next time."

Sakura got the clue and threw an array of senbon at Kakashi directing them with her chakra threads so it seemed that they came from six different directions and then she threw a kunai hidden between the flying senbon to cut the rope holding Naruto. The boy swung at the tree trunk and used it as leverage to haul himself into the bushes. Shikamaru had to hand it to them, their teamwork was flawless.

He found them sitting beneath a fir tree.

"Please Sakura tell me you got something from this. This was embarrassing." Naruto looked annoyed and mortified simultaneously.

"Apart from the fact that he doesn't take us seriously? Very little." She twirled a senbon between her fingers. "He is fast though. I mean I've never seen a Kawarimi executed without handseals before. Even playing with us as he is I don't think we could keep up with him long enough to even touch one of those bells."

So that was their plan. Naruto's embarrassing display of skills or lack thereof was a diversion for getting information and Sakura's analysis of their teacher's speed and the conclusion drawn from it was sound. But they hadn't looked deeper than the surface.

Sakura sighed. "We would need him to hold still, just for a second, to stand a chance at all."

Shikamaru leaned against a tree watching his teammates. "I might be able to help you with that."

Naruto jumped weapons drawn. "Don't sneak up on us like that! Sakura could have turned you into a pincushion." She would have if he hadn't taken precautions. But Sakura was frozen into position by Shikamaru's shadow bind.

"Our chance getting the bells is higher when we fight together."

"What about the one who will be sent back to the academy?"

"Let's worry about that when we actually have the bells." Sakura and Naruto looked at each other before they nodded. Shikamaru released Sakura from the Kagemane no Jutsu.

Naruto grinned. "Well they weren't kidding when they said they tried to balance the strength of the teams, you fit right in with us."

Shikamaru was slightly taken aback when they readily made space for him in their hiding spot. "So you have a plan?"

AN: So Shikamaru joins in and Kakashi gets to voice his opinion on that in the next chapter. After that I'm going to start on some real changes of the original storyline.  
I think an AU is like following paths. When Naruto befriended Sakura he took a different path but went in the direction as before with slightly different scenery. Now that Shikamaru joined them their path is gong to diverge more and more from the original direction until this story ends at a completely different point. So please bear with me a bit longer before the action starts.  
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, stay tuned and as always have a nice day.


	6. Chapter 5

Hatake Kakashi stood in the middle of the clearing and moved his head a little to determine where the children were hiding. They were still hiding a bit further in the undergrowth discussing the finer points of Shikamaru's battle strategy.

Kakashi had been keeping tabs on them ever since the test had started. He had noticed that Sakura and Shikamaru had watched him intently when Naruto attacked him, but he had expected that. What had surprised him was that they met up the moment Naruto had escaped his trap, and when Kakashi had eavesdropped on them he began to suspect that he would actually have to pass them. The plan they had in place was certainly interesting and Kakashi was curious if they were able to pull it off.

He didn't look up when he noticed the three starting to make their move. He turned a page in his orange book and let his thought wander again, wondering if he had time to finish the chapter before they reached him.

Despite what Kakashi had told his genin, there was no failure rate. It was possible for everyone from a graduating class to pass, or no one at all. It would be a waste of talent if you had thirty geniuses and could only incorporate ten into the ninja ranks. That meant that it was up to the individual teams to pass, which made team assignments a decisive factor.

Kakashi felt that whoever did the team assignments this year, however, should get their head examined. The Chunin responsible for the mess must have been either stupid, mad, or dead drunk. That was the only possible explanation Kakashi could think of to explain the messy team formations. He felt it would be a wonder if any of these teams had passed at all. The only teams in his eyes that had a chance of passing were Team 7, 8 and 10.

Team 8 was intended to be a scouting or frontline taijutsu team consisting of Akimichi Choji, Hyuga Hinata and Inuzuka Kiba. They had some "heavy hitter" taijutsu techniques to defend themselves behind enemy lines. But from what he had observed the day before, none of them were fit to become a team leader. Choji and Hinata lacked the confidence needed, and Kiba lacked the brains. They might grow into the necessary skills eventually, but for now the team dynamic would most likely be a walking disaster. Kurenai would probably pass them because of her connection with Hinata, but getting them into shape would be hard work.

Kakashi wasn't entirely sure what kind of group Team 10 was supposed to be. He guessed the justification for putting Yamanaka Ino, Aburame Shino and Uchiha Sasuke in one group was that they could, under very special circumstances, form a viable hunting and interrogation team. But with Ino's volatile temper, Sasuke's murderous tendencies, and Shino's absolute lack of communication skills, they were a ticking time bomb in terms of teamwork. Kakashi was almost certain that Asuma wouldn't pass them if it would be his choice. With the last Uchiha involved, however, the council would probably blackmail him in some way.

And then there was his team, Team 7, the main reason he questioned the sanity of the Chunin responsible for the team assignments. Kakashi suspected someone had wanted to sabotage Naruto's career, and possibly Sakura's as well. Both were known trouble makers, and most Jonin wouldn't even consider taking them on, if not for the trouble, than for the Kyuubi. If one added the laziest student in the academy to their team, failure became even more probable. And to make sure that they would fail, the Chunin assigned them to Hatake Kakashi, who had never passed a team before.

Kakashi felt the joke was on them, because in reality, they had handed him a fledgling Infiltration and Assassination Team that might just be worth the time.

If he had been assigned a frontline team or something like that he wouldn't have known what to do with them. He had spent far too much time in the ANBU, running covert operations and assassinations, to train a team that would need heavy combat techniques on the battlefield. Sneaking around was more his style, and since Kakashi had been responsible for training new ANBU recruits, he knew how to teach others to match his own subtle nature.

Shikamaru made only average marks in the Academy, which was astounding considering he put no effort at all into his classwork. According to the boy's teachers, most of the time he couldn't even be bothered to pick up a pencil to answer the test questions. He had the markings of a lazy genius, just like his father, Nara Shikaku, the Jonin Commander for Konohagakure. Kakashi knew Naruto was reckless and he always dragged Sakura into his schemes, but considering that they were children, and only just Genin, their schemes were well planned and executed. There was one time the two of them had broken into the Ninja archives, for example. Kakashi remembered that particular instance very well, and how could he not, it didn't happen everyday that academy students made the ANBU run around like headless chicken.

He still wasn't sure if he should admire or curse their audacity to break into the T&I building while still in the academy, but those two had great potential as infiltrators. If his information was true, and Shikamaru was as level headed and intelligent as he appeared, he would balance the other two out. They might form a well rounded team.

Kakashi smiled when he sensed that his students were ready to execute Shikamaru's plans. Shikamaru crouched in the shadows with the sun behind him. It gave him the advantage of a slightly longer shadow. A flash of pink signaled Kakashi that Sakura perched on a tree. She would have a better vantage point that way. Naruto hid in the bushes waiting for the signal to start their plan.

Now he just had to see if they could actually pass his test.

Having finished his chapter he snapped his book shut the same moment that Naruto's shadow clones broke out of the undergrowth.

Naruto, obviously the distraction, was swarming the clearing with his clones. They attacked randomly from all sides keeping Kakashi's attention focused on him. Naruto spawned them as fast as Kakashi destroyed them. Soon the immediate area around them was filled with raised dust and the clouds from the dispersed clones. Kakashi had to admit that the distraction worked well as he only noticed the approaching shadow when it connected with his own.

The hold it had on him was strong for a genin. Shikamaru knew that they had only one chance at this so he put every ounce of strength in this opportunity. It wasn't enough to hold a jonin in place but the moment it took Kakashi to break free was enough. It presented an opportunity for Sakura to make her move.

Out of the corner of his eye Kakashi saw a kunai flying in his direction. It was aimed at his hip more specifically at the bells at his hip. He turned slightly and let the weapon cut through the string. With a clear jingle they fell to the ground.

Naruto's clones doubled their efforts and swamped him. Meanwhile Sakura send a volley of senbon down at the clearing destroying the clones. The original used the resulting clouds as cover to grab the bells and substitute with a clone that had been hiding in the bushes until needed.

Within seconds the genin retreated further into the undergrowth.

The whole attack hadn't taken more than sixty seconds. The plan had come from Shikamaru's brain but the execution had been a team effort. They had struck swiftly and decisively. For genin it had been an impressive and exceptional performance. Those three might really be worth his time.

Then the clock began to ring, and Kakashi smiled before sauntering over to turn it off. He took a seat on one of the logs and watched his genin coming out of the bushes. Naruto and Sakura looked dejected, and Shikamaru was frowning.

"So now that you have the bells," he asked, "what are you going to do with them? Who is going to keep one? Who goes back to the academy?"

The three looked at each other in silence. Neither Sakura nor Shikamaru had a good answer to the question. Naruto cooked his head in thought as he stared at the bell he still held in his hand, then exclaimed, "I know. We cut them into pieces!" His two teammates stared at him, their jaws dropping in surprise, and Kakashi's visible eye showed surprise for a millisecond.

"You said the one without a bell would be sent back," said Naruto. "So if we all had more than zero bells, you'd have to pass us all because no one is without a bell." Naruto crossed his arms behind his head and grinned like a maniac.

Kakashi smiled, but internally he was trying to figure out how to end the test in the way he had planned. Previous teams he had dealt with had failed to get a bell, so he hadn't known what to expect. Naruto's idea caught him completely off guard. He had just found a loophole in the rules and exploited it. The boy had the right mindset as a ninja. He kept to the rules but bended them to meet his own needs and the needs of his team. He jumped down from the log. "Yes," he said with a smile, "all of you pass the test."

Naruto pumped his fist in the air and Sakura threw her arms around him, both beaming with happiness. Even Shikamaru was grinning, until a thought crossed his mind and wiped it off his face. "But getting the bell wasn't the true objective, was it? You let us get the bell on purpose. You wanted to see what we are going to do now that we have it."

Naruto and Sakura stopped cheering and turned their heads so fast Kakashi could hear the bones cracking. "What?" they both shouted in unison.

Kakashi smiled and motioned for Shikamaru to continue. It would seem that someone actually bothered to look beneath the underneath.

"You only let us glimpse at your true strength three times. The first was when you intercepted Sakura in the beginning, the second when you sent Naruto flying with a simple asspoke, and the third when you were still able to move despite the fact that my shadow was connected to yours. You saw Sakura's kunai coming but let it cut the bells loose anyway. You haven't been fighting seriously the entire duration of that test. If you had done so we all would be dead now. So why have us fighting against you at all?"

"Then there are the rules that we had to get a bell to pass, and yet there were only two bells for three students. The rules were designed to turn us against each other, right?" Shikamaru shoved his hands deeper into his pockets.

Sakura and Naruto stared at the Nara heir. They hadn't bothered to try and figure out the purpose of the test but had gone along with the rules, without questioning them as Shikamaru had. Shikamaru's analysis was correct and well founded. Kakashi nodded. "You are right. All three of you displayed the ability to ignore your selfish desires to achieve a common goal. You decided to worry about the distribution after you got your hands on the bell and then you came up with a solution that would allow everyone to pass. You are the first team I had that was able to work together under the designed circumstances."

Kakashi walked towards the memorial. "You won't always be able to come out of difficult situations unscathed like you did today. You will be faced with tough decisions in the field, decisions between life and death." He laid a hand on the cold stone almost caressing it. "The names carved on this stone, those ninja are considered heroes of the village." The three children followed him staring at the long list of names. "They all died in the line of duty, in service for their village."

"Rules and codes are important and give us a structure to live by and ninja who break them are considered trash. But" Kakashi turned around and fixed his students with a stern gaze. "those who don't care for their comrades are lower than trash."

All three of them remained silent as the words sank in. Deep in thought Naruto took a step forward placing two fingers on one of the names carved into the black basalt. "So mum's here as well."

Sakura laid an arm around her friend's shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. Shikamaru stood behind them in silent support.

Kakashi could see a great team dynamic developing. In time and with the right training they would become unstoppable. He had been handed a raw diamond and now Kakashi had to make them shine. In his mind he was already thinking of a training schedule.

Breaking the solemn moment Kakashi smiled at them and ruffled Naruto's hair. "Report for duty at the Hokage tower tomorrow at six in the morning." Without another word he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

There was a moment of silence before Naruto exclaimed: "I gonna learn how to do that."

Sakura grinned. "We passed the test. We are now officially Genin. I think that calls for a celebration."

"At Ichiraku's" Naruto decided.

"I'm just going to-" Shikamaru started but his teammates never gave him the chance to complete his protests. They both laid their arms around Shikamaru's shoulders and dragged him along.

* * *

AN: I have no real excuse for not writing but I finally got back. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and as always have a nice day.


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